Things We Never Said (Hart's Boardwalk #3) - Samantha Young Page 0,99

wouldn’t understand Emery and Jack.”

“There is no Emery and Jack.” I grabbed her hand. “Bails, I adore you, you know that, but I don’t get this. You hate Dana and Jack for what they did to Cooper. Why would you push Emery toward Jack Devlin?”

“Because she’s stronger than you all think. You all want to coddle and protect her, but maybe what she needs is to be pushed outside her comfort zone. There are things she’s not telling us. And there are things that Jack is not telling us. You forget I grew up with Jack Devlin. I hero-worshipped the guy. He is not a bad person, Dahlia.” She shook her head. “He punched out Stu when he heard his brother attacked me, and he gave Jess a heads-up about his dad coming after Cooper’s liquor license.”

This was true. When Jess and Cooper first started dating, Ian Devlin had been harassing Cooper about buying his bar for months. Devlin had bribed someone on the city board of licenses so that Cooper’s liquor license wouldn’t be renewed, thus forcing him out of business. Cooper would never have found out until it was too late if Jack hadn’t warned Jessica about it.

It was Jess’s idea to make all of us who owned businesses on the boardwalk sign a petition stating we’d close our doors if Cooper’s license wasn’t renewed. Jess and Cooper took the petition to the city council, and the chairwoman saw it was in her best interest, and in the interest of our tourist economy, to investigate and renew his license.

“You know that I agree with you about Jack. That there’s more to his story.” I leaned toward my friend, hoping my words would sink in. “And I agree that Emery isn’t telling us everything about her past. There’s a reason she’s so introverted and shy. And yes, that does make me want to handle her with care because I have this awful feeling that someone didn’t handle her with care, Bailey.”

Bailey sat back, her eyes darkening with worry.

“Jack is hiding something. That’s a man riddled with issues. I know Emery has a crush on him. Anyone with eyes can see that. But speaking as a woman riddled with issues who has a good person interested in her … I don’t want Emery to go through what Michael is going through. She needs someone gentle, who has his shit together. Don’t push this. Please.”

After a moment’s study, Bailey nodded. “I’ll leave them alone.”

“Good.” I heaved a sigh of relief.

“But I can’t leave what you just said alone. You are not Jack Devlin, Dahlia. And Michael is not Emery. You are a good person. You do deserve Michael. And whatever demon is holding you hostage”—she squeezed my arm tight, her eyes blazing with sincerity and concern—“you have to let it go before you lose Michael forever.”

“Bailey—”

“Have you thought about it? Really thought about it? What your life will look like again without him in it?”

I had.

It was hollow and empty and cold.

But it would be more than Dillon would ever get to have.

“These are for sale, right?” A female voice drew us out of our conversation. A tourist stood at the stall wearing a curious expression, glancing between us.

I forced a smile, pretending like I wasn’t seconds away from falling apart, and gestured to my jewelry. “Yes. And it’s all handmade.”

Bailey was right. I needed to say no to Kell Summers. Maybe even hell no!

Gazing around the conference room in Vaughn’s hotel, my stomach gave an unhappy lurch. It had been a week since the carnival, I’d avoided Michael and all the serious thoughts that came with him, but I had not avoided Kell Summers.

Kell had set up tables in two long rows with chairs opposite each other for the speed-dating event. The room was buzzing with familiar and not-so-familiar faces, so I surmised that the rumors were true. The event had attracted people from all over the county.

Dating was no big deal to me.

I’d started serial dating in my mid-twenties, and I’d used every app and online dating site available. Dating had led me all over our small state, and I’d gone on dates in Philadelphia, Maryland, and New Jersey. Very few of those dates had turned into anything resembling a relationship, and as soon as I realized that’s what it was, I’d walked away.

The longest “relationship” I’d been in was with Jeff King. I’d considered it more a fling, but it had lasted three months. Subconsciously, I knew it